


little by little by hook or by crook

by defcontwo



Category: Marvel (Comics)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-26
Updated: 2012-03-26
Packaged: 2017-11-02 13:17:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/369379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/defcontwo/pseuds/defcontwo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A girl catches Bucky's eye on the Eastern Front. This is only the beginning.</p>
            </blockquote>





	little by little by hook or by crook

**Author's Note:**

> handwaving of comics continuity! there's continuity in comics? who knew!? as is always the case when I'm writing Natasha, I tend to adhere more towards the backstory as presented in Marjorie Liu's run. 
> 
> tragically, every character in this story belongs to Marvel.

It is cold - bitterly so, the kind of cold that seeps into your bones and stays there for days, long after you've left it, and they haven't left it yet. It's been cold since they got here and Bucky is tempted to open his mouth, to snark about it, but he's done so a bit too much since they first arrived in Russia two weeks ago. He thinks of Steve's face, the tight smile that means he's frustrated too but won't ever say so, and it's enough to keep Bucky's mouth shut. 

"Where we headed next, Cap?" 

They're on orders to leave Russia for places unknown, trudging their way back to camp where a jeep will be waiting for them. It's all been very hush-hush but there's very little most commanders feel comfortable keeping from Captain America. 

"Officially, I have no idea," Steve admits, shouldering his shield. 

"Officially, I'm seventeen years old and I'm not even supposed to be here," Bucky points out. 

Steve chuckles. "Officially, you've got a big mouth, kid." 

Bucky glares and he knows it doesn't quite have the effect he wants, covered in fallen snow and shivering as he is. 

"I think we're bound for England but they haven't told me why," Steve admits. 

Bucky shrugs as he figures well fuck, that makes about as much sense as everything else in this goddamn war. But they're soldiers and this is what they do - this is what Steve does and Bucky intends to be right there with him, every step of the way. 

"Hey, look! Russian civilians!" Dum-Dum says, pointing out a group of people ahead of them, walking along the road towards them. 

They're civilians, all right. Civilians in that they aren't officially army but no one's a civilian here, not really, not when their lives depend on it and the war has come to their doorstep. They're clustered together more for warmth than protection, mostly older men, every single one of them armed. 

Leading them, though - leading them is a young girl, about Bucky's age, with hair redder than he's ever seen, and a gun slung onto her back. She stands straight, proud, uncowed like so many others that they've seen since this war began. She meets Bucky's questioning gaze dead-on as the two groups walk by each other, and there is disdain in her eyes, disdain that raises his hackles and makes him want to stop in his tracks, to stop the girl and talk to her and find out what's made her so angry. 

His gaze tracks her long after they've passed each other by, Bucky standing stock still in the snow. 

"It's a good thing you can fight, buck, because you're useless when faced with a pretty girl," Dum-Dum says, snapping Bucky's attention back to his brothers-in-arms. 

"What?" Bucky asks, still distracted. 

"Come on, Buck, there'll be plenty of pretty girls in England," Steve says, slinging an arm around Bucky's shoulders. 

"Yeah," Bucky says, willing himself back into the rhythm of their march back to camp, "but there was just something about that girl."


End file.
